Firearm.



H; POETTIGH.

FIREARM. APPLIOATION FILED OUT. 1, 1906.

Patented June 1, 1909.

residing at New HENRY POETTIGH; OF NEW 'BEDFORD, MASSMHUSETTS.

FIREARM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1, 1909.

Application filed octobel 1, 1908. serial No. 455,710.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY Pon'r'rlen, a subject of the Em )cror of Austria-Hungary, edford, in the county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Firearms, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to rifles, revolvers or like fire-arms and has for its ,object to provide a construction, whereby a continuous loading can be automatically accomplished.

My invention principally consists in the provision of an endless cartrid e carrier formed of a strap or band to whic the cartridges are detachably secured adjacent to one another in continuous succession. This cart-ridge carrier is caused to be fed automatically between the barrel and the stock by the shifting of the loading bar, whereby new cartridges are successively brought position of loadin My invention a so consists in the arrangement and combination of means for effecting the automatical feeding of the cartridge"carrler.

To make my invention more clear the same is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a rifle, a part of the stock and the cartridge chamber being broken ofl 2 is a partial .cross section thereof; Fig. 3 a rear view ofone of the feeding wheels; Fig. 4 shows a part of the cartridge carrier; Fig. 5 shows the normal position of a cartridge rior to loading and when the-breech block is within the barrel, and Fig. .6 is an elevation of the rifle with a part of the cartridge carrier extending outward from the loading chamber.

With reference to the drawing, a is the barrel of a gun, I) the stock thereof and c the breech block. The cartridges dare carried upon a long strap or band e which may be of any desired length and .to which the cartridges are detachably secured by spring fingers f. Rotatively mounted between the barrel and the stock is a )in g journaled in bearings that are" yie dingly supported 1 upon springs 11, so that the pin is capable of of a slight pressure thereon. Rigidly secured to this pin are disks or wheels 1, lc which are of equal diameter and which on their circummoving in vertical direction at the exercise ference are; provided with semicircular notches Z that are ada )ted to embrace the enlarged portion of t e cartridges. The space between the two disks or wheels is occupicd by a drum m which may be integral and which serves as a guide for the band or strap e.

Concentrically arrangedupon and integral with or rigidly connected with one of the disks or wheels 7c is a ratchet wheel 0. The teeth 0 of this ratchet wheel are so spaced as to correspond with one-half of the distance between two cartridges or the notches l of the wheels 1' and 7c.

Stationarily secured to the wall of the cartridge chamber 1) is a spring-actuated pawl or dog g, which is adapted to engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel 0 and to cause the fecdingof the latter and the wheels 3' and k, respectively, when, upon the depression of the said wheels or pin g, respectively, the latter, by the springs 'i, are again forced into normal position. The depression of the wheels and pin 9, respectively, is effected automatically while withdrawing the breech block from the barrel. As the same is caused to pass from the reduced portion (1 to the en- -with or rigidly connected with the wheels, 7

larged portion of the cartridge that lies just 'at the rear of the barrel eccentrically thereto (see Fig-.5), the latter is pressed downward depressing the wheels and 70.

From the inner-surface of the cover 1" of the chamber downwardly projects in somewhat oblique osition an arm 3, the lower forward end 0 which is so shaped as toengage the cartridge from below during the feeding movement of the strap 6 in the direction of the arrow 1: and to cause its detachment from the strap. As the feeding of the latter continues the detached car- .block from left, to right the cartridge is caused to enter the barrel.

In order to bring the succeeding cartrldge into the same position normally occupliieg by the preceding cartridge, 1. provide a t I wheel t at a certain distance away from and in front of the wheel 7c. This wheel t is of somewhat larger diameter than the wheels 7' and k and is provided with notches t that are not as deep as the .notches fl of the former wheels but are of about the same ing of the cartridge carrier caused by wheel t, the succeeding cartridge is brought precisely into the same position normally occupied by the precedingcartridge. By the withdrawal of the breech block, and while the latter is caused to ass over this second cartridge, the wheels and Z". of the pin g, respectively are again depressed, and upon their release from the breech block the new cartridge is brought into loading position, and so on in succession.

The lower arts of the long cartridge earrier e exten at both sides outward from underneath the cover 1' of the chamber (as shown in Fig. 6), and may be concealed in any suitable manner.

I do not wish to restrict myself to the particular construction shown, and what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1s:-

1. In fire-arms, a breech block, along cartridge carrier, cartridg detachably secured thereto, notched wheels and springactuated yielding bearings therefor, said wheels serving as guides for the said cartridges, means for feeding the cartridge carrier, and means for the automatic detachment of the cartridges from the carrier and adjustment thereof in loading position.

2. In fire-arms, a breech block, a long cartridge carrier, cartridges detachably secured thereto, notched wheels and springactuated yielding bearings therefor, said notched wheels serving as guides for the cartridges, means for feeding the cartridge carrier, said feeding being ei'i'ected automatically upon the depression of the notched wheels by the breech block and the subsequent return thereof, and means for the automatic detachment of the cartridges from the carrier and the adjustment thereof in loading position.

3. In fire-arms, a breech block, a long cartridge carrier, cartridges detachably secured thereto, notched wheels, spring-actuated yielding bearings therefor, said wheels serving as guides for the said cartrid es, a ratchet wheel rigidly connected wit the notched wheels, and a stationary springactuated pawl engaging said ratchet wheel and effecting the feeding of the cartridge carrier, and means for the automatic detachment of the cartridges from the carrier and the adjustment thereof in loading position.

Intestimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY POETTIOH.

Witnesses:

, JOSEPH E. OAVANAUGH,

IVIAX D. ORDMANN. 

